Status of Secusio extensa as a biocontrol agent for Senecio madagascariensis in Hawaii

Secusio extensa (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), or Madagascar moth, a voracious defoliator of fireweed (Senecio madagascariensis), was collected in Africa by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Tests in quarantine indicate it is a promising biocontrol agent. The moth is highly host-specific, and larvae showed a preference for fireweed when evaluated on more than 70 endemic and naturalized species of Asteraceae. Applications have been submitted to state and federal agencies for release of the Madagascar moth to control fireweed. Approvals are pending (as of 2008). (info from http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/meetings_reports/legislative-reports/2009legreports/AR08%20-%20Program%20Highlights.pdf accessed 20091104; info as of 2008)